It's Gonna Be Okay
by overdosed-on-chocolate
Summary: A few days after Zero had bitten Yuuki for the first time, both of them know things will never be the same. But will it be better or worse? Is Zero prolonging his inevitable fate to help Yuuki or himself? What does he really feel towards the girl who has come closer than any other 'friend? Why does Yuuki keep denying her emotions towards Zero? Why don't they just give into it.
1. 01 Picking Up the Pieces

Zero squinted his eyes and groaned as he heard Yuuki knock on the door. She walked in and pulled back the curtains. Even through the slits of his eyes he could still manage to glare but like that had any effect on her these days, she was too used to him. So instead he just rolled over and pulled the blankets up over his head hoping she would get the message that he wasn't going anywhere outside his room today. She wasn't getting it.

"I didn't give you permission to annoy me."

"That's alright, I didn't ask for it."

Zero just groaned again and pulled the blankets higher over his head.

Yuuki had other plans. She had prepared a big week for the both of them and very little of it would be spent at Cross Academy. She planned on helping Zero get past his vampire issue which she had only recently found out. She stood there and recalled what had happened only a few nights ago.

_'Zero. He's a vampire; a Level E. He's going to lose his sanity. Just like the other Level E's we encountered in the town. His bloodlust will take over him. He will begin to crave blood.'_

She placed her fingertips on her neck and lightly skimmed the two holes where Zero's fangs had pierced her neck. She had forgotten to put a new adhesive strip on it.

_'But, he was born into the family of vampire hunters, he hates vampires. His family was killed by one, all on the one night. He was bitten back then too, he was bitten by a pureblood. That's why he's becoming a Level E. That's why he will lose himself if he doesn't get to drink off a pureblood. Maybe Kaname-"_

Realising Zero was sitting on his bed had stopped her thought track. She could feel his eyes on her and prayed that they weren't looking at where her hand was covering the marks.

_'It must have been hard for Zero. He couldn't help it. Its what he is.'_

"Yuuki…"

The sound of him saying her name made her jump. She looked at him and saw that her reaction was a bad one. Zero still had his familiar scowl that sent the Day Class students fleeing from his sight. But the corners of his lips had lowered a little more than usual, making it look like he felt guilty. He wasn't looking at her, he was staring at the floor just infront of her shoes.

"Yes Zero?"

"You… alright?"

Zero could see that she was holding the place where he had bit her.

_'She's afraid…of me…'_

Noticing her hand was still on her neck she lowered it and tugged at the hem of her skirt. This left the wound exposed to Zero's eyes and they quickly turned red as he began to remember the taste of Yuuki's blood. He shut them quickly, trying desperately to prevent himself from moving any closer to her. He began feeling frustrated and scrunched a part of the blanket in his fist. He hated himself.

Yuuki had been looking out at the window and couldn't see Zero close his eyes but she could hear the blankets ruffle as he clenched them, taking it as a sign that Zero was angry at himself.

_'It's not his fault. I know he can't stop it. He doesn't have to feel this way.'_

She slowly closed here eyes trying to hide the pain that she felt and turned to Zero with a smile on here face.

"Of course I am stupid."

Her eyes were shut so she couldn't see that he had his closed as well but she heard him get up and walk over but she still kept her smile on. She had a slight shiver as she felt his hand on her shoulder and the touch brought her to open her eyes instantly.

"Yuuki…"

Looking up, she met a pair of lavender-coloured eyes and strands of hair covering parts so as to weaken the strength of his stare. Zero had managed to control his blood thirst for four years, and even having tasted Yuuki's blood, he still managed to keep the sane part of himself in control. His gaze was reaching into her soul and it was so intense that she couldn't speak.

_'The last time Zero looked at me with such strength was when he…'_

Recalling that night was still frightful for her and seeing his eyes the way they were now made the events of what had happened more real. She could see the guilt and apology in them and it made her feel the same. Looking back out the window she finally decided to respond.

"I'm fine Zero."

She decided that she should behave the way she normally does to make it more convincing so before walking out the door she turned and faced him. Zero looked up at her.

"Now hurry up. I've got plans for us and you can't say no. So get dressed and come eat."

And with that she left him.

Zero waited until she had closed the door until he took out the blood tablets from his drawer. He stared down at the packet, and pulled out a tablet. Disgusted with himself, he shoved the tablet back in its box and threw them across the room. The sunlight had crept between the two curtains and was irritating him after a while so he finally decided to put on a pair of black jeans, a dark grey T-shirt, some socks, black Converse shoes and a navy blue jacket with a hood. Looking at himself in the mirror he fixed his hair and looked at the tattoo on his neck, placed over the spot where that woman had bit him.

_It had been a year since he joined the Cross family. Zero sat by the fireplace and was clawing at his neck at the spot where he was bitten. He scratched at it until it was bleeding and even after that he kept going. Yuuki had found him doing this, she gasped and here eyes swelled with tears. She immediately grabbed his wrist to put his bloodied hand to her head and put one of here small hands where the scratch marks were. She spoke to him with tears in her eyes,  
"Stop… It's gonna be okay"_


	2. 02 I'm Afraid

_'I won't become a Level E. I'm a vampire hunter. Nothing else. I won't give in. I'm not gonna become like all the others. Never. I won't give in.'_

But he knew that denying his instincts was only going to prolong the transformation. And prolonging it would only make it more painful, but he had to bear it, to protect Yuuki. The last thing Zero wanted to do was hurt her and he had already done that. He had to make sure it would never happen again.

Yuuki was halfway through her breakfast when Zero walked in. While still chewing on her toast she started talking to him.

"Hey. What took you so long?"

"I was tired."

Zero sat down and grabbed a piece of cold toast from the basket and began to spread some strawberry jam on it. He looked at the jam jar and saw the colour of the jam was nearly the same as that of blood. Ingnoring this thought, he took a bite and left to get a drink from the kitchen. Yuuki watched him until she couldn't see him anymore and continued drinking from her hot chocolate. Zero was on his way back to sit when Yuuki had finished and got up to leave.

"I'm going upstairs to get ready. I'll be back real soon."

Zero just nodded and started with his strawberry jam toast.

He was halfway through his drink before Yuuki came back. She had put on a white singlet and a pair of denim jeans as well as some black flats. All she did then was sit down and smile at him, too nervous to speak to him. Thankfully for her, not for Zero, there was a knock on the open door and Kaname stood at the threshold.

"Hello Yuuki."

"Kaname! I didn't know you were joining us."

"That's alright, I just came by to see you. How are you doing?"

Zero slammed down the cup, his back faced towards Kaname and Yuuki. He hated Kaname, he hated vampires and Kaname was the highest rank any vampire could ever achieve. He was a pureblood, just like that woman who bit Zero years ago. Yuuki had realised that she hadn't responded to Kaname and that it was affecting Zero.

"Yeah, I'm fine Kaname. How are you?"

"I'm okay thank you. Where's the chairman?"

"He's in his office."

"Okay, I think I will go see him now. I hope that you have a lovely day. Nice seeing you Zero."

Zero didn't even stir, no matter how badly he wanted to shoot Kaname he knew that doing so would kill Yuuki. Zero knew that she loved him, and he hated it. Kaname was a vampire, how could she see so much good in him? Then again, he was a vampire too.

_'Does she see any good in me? Even if it's not really there?'_

He hadn't noticed Yuuki walk beside him, he couldn't look at her and he didn't know why. Yuuki knew he didn't like Kaname but he would usually talk to her after he left, even if his tone did become a bit colder. She extended her hand and was about to place it on his shoulder when she quickly retracted it and instead wwent to the plate.

"Here, I'll put this away for you."

Zero grabbed the plate himself and sculled down his drink. He picked up the plate as he stood from the table.

"No thanks, I got it."

Yuuki just shrugged and picked up the butter and the jam jar and followed Zero as they walked into the kitchen.

Zero began washing the dishes even though he really wasn't very good at it. Water was splashing everywhere; on the dry dishes left before, on Zero and on the floor as well. While he was having difficulties cleaning, Yuuki was trying to find a place to put the jam.

"Hey Zero, theres no space for the-"

Yuuki had walked forward and slipped on some water that Zero had accidentally split. She had dropped the jar and it's pieces scattered across the floor. Zero swirled around and saw Yuuki on the floor with either jam or blood on her.

"Yuuki! Are you o-"

He saw that she had a small shard in her hand and the all to familiar scent of her blood had crept up his nose and he quickly covered it with his hands. Yuuki had gotten a cloth and was cleaning her arms with it when she began feeling pain.

"Yeah, but I think I have a piece of glass in my palm. Zero?"

He stared down at her hand as she removed the shard from it and the red liquid began to slowly seep out. He just stood there and stared at it, his bloodthirsty side beginning to take over.

"Zero."

Her gentle words were strong enough to bring his sanity back and he looked up and into her eyes.

"Could you please get me an adhesive strip from the top of the cupboard?"

"Yeah… sure."

Zero walked across and Yuuki moved to give him some room. He reached up and found the first-aid box and took out an adhesive strip and a disinfectant wipe.

"Gimme your hand."

Yuuki looked at him with caution as she extended her arm towards him. Zero didn't look at her but instead and her hand which had become quite bloody. He remained calm on the surface but inside was battling the monster within. Removing the plastic from the wipe he reached for Yuuki's hand and began wipe around the wound, taking care not to cause her too much pain. At one time he had gotten a bit too close to it and she flinched which caused him to tighten his grip on her wrist.

"Zero, let go. You're hurting me."

Zero just looked at the blood that was slowly starting to reappear on Yuuki's hand. He had dropped the wipe and brought her wrist closer to him, holding her figers out with the other to prevent her from closing her hand.

"Zero. Please. You are above this. Zero?"

She gasped as she saw the red in his eyes, craving for blood.

_'I'm… I'm afraid.'_

"Yuuki? Zero? Are you two okay? I heard -"

Zero snapped out of his trance and turned to face Kaname Kuran, the red disappearing from his shocked eyes. He covered them with his silver hair and walked away. Yuuki leant against a wall and slid down it, covering her eyes with one hand and putting her head against the adjacent wall. Kaname came and knelt beside her. Yuuki's voice was shaky and she stuttered but Kaname paid attention to every word.

"Z-Zero. H-h-he was about to, about to, to bite me. And I was to s-s-scared and-"

"Shhh. It's okay now Yuuki. Zero didn't do anything to you."

"But he n-n-n-nearly did and it was my-my-my fault."

"Yuuki… You did nothing wrong"

Kaname's words soothed her and she looked up at him with tears swelling in her eyes. Kaname's soft and large hands gently caressed Yuuki's cheek and wiped her soggy eyes.

"I will always be here to wipe the tears before they even fall."

He then looked down at her injured hand and tenderly lifted it.

"My my, it seems you have quite the cut there don't you."

Yuuki just nodded and gave a small sniffle. Kaname helped her up and let her hadn go, something she didn't want to happen. He then picked out another disinfectant wipe from the box and cleaned out the wound. Finding the adhesive strip, he slowly tore away the plastic and carefully placed it on the small incision in her hand.

"There we go. Good as new."

He gave Yuuki a half-meant smile in hopes that she would fell a bit better but she just stared at the strip on her plam.

"You should probably get changed, the jam on your shirt will probably never come out."

"Yeah… Thanks Kaname."

He smiled at her as she walked out but she didn't see him. Kaname had always had feeling for her; he would go so far as to say that he loved her. And recently he had seen that she was acting differently when around Zero and although this brought him both pain and anger, he would never show it in front of her.


	3. 03 Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Zero had been waiting at the front door for fifteen minutes when Yuuki finallt came down.

"What took you so long?"

"I had to get another adhesive strip."

Zero looked like he was about to respond to her but instead he just opened the door. Standing aside, he let Yuuki walk out first. The two of them hadn't gone out to the village for a while, mostly because they never had the time. But it was the holidays and that meant that both the Day and Night Class students would be away for a while. It was initially Headmaster Cross's idea that the two should spend some time together both to relax and to try and rebuild their friendship. Zero was reluctant to do so but with a lot of begging from Yuuki he finally agreed.

The village was about a five minute walk and along the way there were many awkward silences.

"So, how's your neck?"

"Umm, it's alright. It's not hurting as much as it used to."

Zero felt painful guilt as she said that and Yuuki could see that she had said something wrong and did her best to fix it.

"But it never hurt as much as a graze or small cut."

They continued in silence for a while longer until Yuuli tried to find another topic for them to discuss but it was still only small talk and the two kept quiet until they reached the small town.

"Ok. So where do you wanna go first Zero?"

"Anywhere. I don't really care."

"… Well can you at least pretend that you wanna have fun?"

"Hmph."

"Ok then. I think I would like to go to the clothing store."

Yuuki began to walk ahead and Zero was trailing behind deep in thought. It was rare for Yuuki to be so calm and happy. Usually she was stressed and determined and she never really had time to just relax.

_'It's nice to see this side of her. Has Kaname seen her like this? Why should I care about what she's like with Kaname.'_

Then, Zero began to feel a sort of jealousy toward Kaname. Did Yuuki behave like this around Kaname as well? Or was she herself with just him. The same way he wanted to be around her. But that night still haunted him and every time he sees the small scars on her neck he feels both a desire to drink her blood once more and a disgust that he ever thought of doing that. He watched her as she ran back to him and began pointing and different stores, telling him the things they sold and the objects she wanted to look at. He found that he too was becoming more relaxed around her.

Yuuki loved the village. She would come here as a child waiting for Kaname to come over but she remembered she used to look at the shops to buy clothes, jewellery, food and all other kinds of things. Now that school was over for a while she could spend some time and money here. And Zero was the best company to have around with her.

'He's always been very serious and quiet. And that was something I didn't want him to have around me. I wanted him to be himself.'

Yuuki had found a store that had caught her eye once when she came before to but groceries here

"Zero! Look! I wanna go there!"

She instantly grabbed Zero's hand. He had no idea what was going on. First he was wondering why he cared so much about how she behaved around Kaname, and the next thing he knew she had held his hand and was now dragging him into a clothing shop. He noticed his face had grown hot and knew she would see his cheeks all red. It wasn't his fault, he wasn't used to anyone holding his hand. Yes, Yuuki had done this before but he never reacted to it like this.

'What if she sees that I'm going red? How will I explain this to her? It's not like I like her or anything. She's just a friend.'

The word echoed in his mind. Was she a friend? Was that all he was to her? Was that all he wanted to be to her? This thought hit him hard and he didn't know why. So he just ignored it and began to listen to her go on about which clothing she liked best.

"Why don't you just buy it then?"

"I wish I cound, but I can't afford it."

"Then I'll buy it for you."

"No. It's okay. I don't like it that much anyway."

"You spend half an hour looking at it before trying it on! And when you did put it on you looked amazing."

Yuuki turned red and looked up at Zero. His cheeks were burning as well and there was no way she would miss it.

"I-I mean-. Look, it suits you, you want it, get it. Here."

Zero handed Yuuki the extra money she needed. She beamed up at him and jumped up to give him a hug.

"Thank you thank you thank you! Thank you so much Zero!"

Zero smiled, which was extremely rare unless it was one of mockery or sarcasm, but Yuuki didn't get to see it and he was kind of glad.

They had spend two hours before looking for a place to eat. Zero had spotted a nice raamen shop when they had visited the centre of the town. He lead Yuuki towards it and they both sat down and ordered. After finishing their food they had another hour of shopping by which time both Zero and Yuuki were back to the way they were when they were close. Maybe even closer.

Yuuki had noticed that Zero would smile a little bit more than he used to and her accidental noodle moustache made him laugh so hard he nearly fell of the chair, but his face after she had managed to kick him off the chair made her laugh just as much. On their way back they were talking non-stop about anything and everything. Once they had gone inside they went to the kitchen to sit down for a while. The two of them walked in laughing but Zero was the one who stopped first.

"Well it seems that you two have had quite the day. How's your hand Yuuki?"

"Hi Kaname. It's fine. Hasn't hurt too much which is really good."

"That's very good to know. I see you bought something at the shops."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's just a shirt that I liked that Zero helped pay for."

"I'm sure it looks beautiful on you."

Yuuki blushed. She had always had a small crush on Kaname. And he had always loved here. He knew what he had for her was love and he hoped that she would see it someday. Kaname walked up to Yuuki and put his hand on her head, she looked up and he smiled down at her. Zero was right next to her and for some reason couldn't bear watching it so he simply walked off. Yuuki had noticed this and felt guilty. She hugged Kaname and apologised for leaving, saying that she would be back soon, and ran after Zero.

'I hate him! He's a vampire! A pureblood! My enemy!... And Yuuki? Does she love him? Tch. So what if she does. I don't care…'

Zero had stopped walking and heard footsteps behind him.

"Zero. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just fine."

"I'm sorry Kaname brought up the incident that happened this morning. Really I'm al-"

Zero punched the wall beside him which made Yuuki jump. She waited for a while for him to say something but he was dead quiet.

"Listen Zero. It was an accident and all of it was my fault. You did nothing to me-"

"No. No, I bit you. Don't you remember? Coz I can't seem to forget it."

He had now lowered his hand and turned to face Yuuki. She was frozen still as his big lavendar eyes looked down at her.

"Have you forgotten the feeling of my fangs biting your neck? Have you forgotten the sound of me drinking your blood? I haven't forgotten

Yuuki. I remember feeling you shiver as I pierced your neck. I remember the taste of your blood. I remember it all."

Zero's eyes were turning blood red and he quickly turned her so her back was against his chest. She stood there, unable to move away from him, but not wanting to either. He leant down, she could feel his breath on her skin and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. He ran his finger along her neck and felt her heartbeat quicken in fear. He leant in towards her and all she could do was stand there.


	4. 04 Remember?

"Do you want to remember Yuuki?"

She gulped and felt his breath against her neck. She could feel his fangs barely skimming the delicate skin and she closed her eyes. Zero had opened his mouth and was about to bite into her when he regained his sanity. He loosened his grip and took a step away from her. Yuuki slowly let out a breath she didn't know she was keeping in and turned towards him. His eyes were shut tightly and his head hung down. Yuuki walked up to him and placed her small hand on his right cheek.

"You don't have to live like this Zero. I can help you. I can give you some of my blood."

"No. That would be wrong of me for taking it. It's wrong of you for giving it."

"Zero I want to help you. Please."

Zero went to remove her hand and walk away but she had moved it to the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her. Yuuki knew that it was considered illegal to offer human blood to a vampire but she knew that it would help Zero, even thought in the end he would still turn into a Level E. She grabbed his hand and lead him to the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind them. She let go of Zero's hand and began looking around for a sharp object. Having found none she then turned towards Zero.

"Bite me."

"What?"

"Bite me now. No one will catch us."

"Yuuki, I can't."

"Just do it Zero. Please."

"You don't know what you're asking of me."

"Yes I do. I want you to bite me. Right now."

Zero just stood there, he began to recall the taste of Yuuki's blood, he began to crave it. The red filling his beautiful lavendar eyes with a lust for blood, Yuuki's blood. Yuuki walked up to him and looked into his eyes. He looked at her and shut them, he was trying so hard to hold back and he knew she could tell. Yuuki put her hand at the back of his head and he opened his eyes. She brought it down to her neck and waited.

Zero eyes had gone back to his normal colour but he was reaching his limit of restraint and he opened his mouth. The lust for her blood had filled his eyes once more and there was no restraining his need for it. He ran his tongue across the area where he would bite, just like he did the first time, and he felt Yuuki shiver before he pierced her smooth skin. The blood trickled into his mouth with some of it spilling on the corners but he drank as much of it as he could. Yuuki just stood there, one hand still on his head and the other hugging him around the back of his neck. All she could do was stand there as Zero wrapped his arms around her and tightened his grip so that she couldn't move.

Yuuki began to become afraid. The bite frightened her and she wanted out.

"Zero, wait."

Zero just kept drinking.

"Wait. Stop."

Yuuki pushed him by the shoulders but he just tightened his grip and moved forward. This caused her to walk backwards and she ended up leaning on the wall with Zero still feeding off her. He had moved his hands so that they were on either side of her, preventing her from moving away. Yuuki tried to push him by the forehead.

"Zero, enough."

He grabbed her hands and held them on either side of her shoulders.

"Stop it!"

This had snapped Zero back into his senses and he immediately withdrew from Yuuki and went a few steps further away. He wiped the blood off his chin with the back of his hand and licked that off, all the while staring at Yuuki who was holding the fresh wound. She then got some paper towels and began to wipe the area around it and then placed an adhesive strip on. She was shaking while she peeled the strip and Zero knew that he had frightened her. He clenched his fists and looked down at the floor in front of him. Yuuki had settled a bit now and turned to see Zero with anger towards himself. She walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, It's not your fault. I'm the one who wanted to do this. It's my fault I wasn't ready. But I will be next time."

Zero didn't speak so Yuuki just touched his hand, signalling for it to open so she could take it. Zero felt better as he felt her warm fingers intertwine with his. He obediently followed her as she gave him a small tug and unlocked the door to leave. The two of them walked towards Yuuki's room and said their goodbyes there. Zero then went off to his room. Neither of them had noticed the figure standing in the dark just outside Yuuki's room.

Kaname had seen everything. He had seen the two walk out of the bathroom with the smell of blood on the both of them. He had seen that they were holding hands. He had seen the strip on Yuuki's neck. He had seen Zero walk off after saying goodnight. He knew that Yuuki wanted to help Zero, he understood that they were close. But he didn't want her to do anything like this, not with Zero. He walked away, his eyes changing from the chocolate brown filled with care and love, to red filled with anger towards Zero and the wanting of Yuuki's blood.


	5. 05 Kaname knows

_'Maybe she didn't think this through fully.'_

Zero lay on his bed and stared at the roof, it was around two or three in the morning and he hadn't been able to sleep. He had been pacind around his room thinking about what he had done to Yuuki, and how he probably wouldn't have stopped if she hadn't spoken to him strongly enough. He became afraid of himself when he craved blood. He knows the danger he puts others into but when he tastes it, its as if he cant even think, his desire override him and all he wants is blood.

_'How can she stand to be anywhere near me? Why does she try to find ways to help me? It doesn't make anything better, it just makes it hurt more…'_

Yuuki was in bed deep in thought. She knew Zero couldn't control this and she knew the only way he could come out of this was nearly impossible.

_'Maybe Kaname can find someone else who's a pureblood for Zero, there's got to be others around.'_

Yuuki was thinking of ways she could ask Kaname to do this or to find someone else to do this.

_'It doesn't matter, he wont do it, not even for me.'_

The knock startled her, the person on the other side even more.

"Kaname…"

"Hello Yuuki, are you alright?"

"Uhh, yes. Why?"

"I just thought you looked upset before. I saw Zero leave earlier and you seemed sad, do you want to talk about it?"

"Err, no it's alright Kaname."

He studied her closely and she could see that his eyes were staring at her neck. She moved her hand over the adhesive patch and looked down at the floor.

"Yuuki, what happened to your neck?"

"Nothing, It was just an accident."

Kaname used one hand to gently take hold of hers and used the other to brush Yuuki's hair aside. He already knew what it was and who did it but he was seeing if she trusted him enough to admit it. He leaned in close to the patch and saw red marking on it. There were two fairly large red splodges just under the surface of it, Kaname knew that the bite was deep. He straightened up but didn't take his eyes off the patch on her neck, nor did he let go of her hand.

"Blood?"

"It was only a little bit."

He was mad but he would never show it. It wasn't directed at Yuuki, he could never be mad at her. No. He was mad at Zero.

"Were you doing something dangerous?"

Yuuki knew that what she and Zero did was against some Vampire laws. And those laws are to prevent danger so of course it was dangerous.

"No not really."

"Was it Zero?"

She froze. And stared at him but Kaname wasn't looking at her, he was staring at the mark Zero had left on her.

_'He knew. There's no point in trying to hide it.'_

"It was my decision, please don't blame Zero."

Kaname closed his eyes and removed his hands from her, he wished he could have kept them there but her words had stung him. Yuuki looked up at him and waited for him to do something, anything.

"I know the consequences of my actions and I accept them. So please don't think it was something either of us were forced to do."

"Yuuki, it's not you that I am upset at, it's Zero."

"But I chose to give him my blood."

"But he had the choice to reject that offer. He should know how dangerous it is for him and more importantly for you. I don't want him doing that to you any more."

Yuuki was sad and angry. Sad that she had disappointed someone she had admired and still admired. Angry that he put the blame on Zero rather than her. She knew he had a point but she knew that Zero was not in the wrong, it was just his natural answer. She noticed Kaname had gently taken hold of her hand again and had his other hand on her cheek, his eyes were a dark chocolate colour and they were gazing into hers.

"Yuuki, do you want me to be in pain? Because that's what the actions you took do to me. Please Yuuki, you need to understand that what you do may not hurt you but it hurts me."

"I understand Kaname, but I have to keep doing this."

"You can't stop it from happening. You know that."

Yuuki felt tears swell in her eyes and she turned away, releasing her hand from his and placing it at her door.

"I can't stop it, but I will prevent it for as long as I can. Goodnight Kaname."

"Goodnight, Yuuki."

He had gone too far in saying that what she was doing was useless. But he loved her too much. Yuuki meant too much to him and seeing marks on her body that had been made by Zero put him in a state of anger. And something similar to jealousy. He hated it when Hanabusa spoke about how her blood was sweet and delicious and how much he wanted to taste it again. Kaname didn't want her blood being drank by other but he didn't want to taste her blood. Did he? He always treated Yuuki like glass, she was precious and he would do anything to keep her safe. But he wanted her blood, there was no denying it, nor was there any admitting of it.

Yuuki lay in bed on her side, and watched the second had of the clock.

_'Funny, I used to think that time was going too slow, but now it's going too fast, time is slipping away. I want it to slow down, I want Zero to stay the way he is. I know I can't stop it Kaname, why do remind me about it? As much as you say I hurt you, don't you realise you hurt me too?'_

She moved her head so that her face sunk in the pillow so that the stuffing muffled her sobbing and the fabric would soak up the tears.

She had hoped that the pillow stuffing's had made them quiet enough for no one to hear but the door slightly opened and a figure came and stood at her side. Her eyes were too watery to make out the person but a soothing hand gently caressed her cheek and then ran through her hair. The person now knelt by the bed but she still couldn't see through her squinted watery eyes with tears still trickling down. The person began to slowly stroke her from her shoulder to her elbow.

"Shhhh…"

The gentle sound of their voice brought her sobbing down to an almost silent whimper and she closed here eyes, tired from the day. The figure knelt there until she fell asleep, he stroked her face and kissed her hands that were clasped together in front of her face. He rose and left, gently closing the door on his way out.


	6. 06 Stepping Further Away

Yuuki eyes did a kind of flutter and she blinked several times before looking around the empty room. She hadn't slept that well for a few nights, every since Zer–… well, not for a few nights.

_'Maybe it was the crying before I slept that made it better. Or maybe it was the person who – that's right!'_

She sat up in bed and thought back to last night. She was crying, someone walked in but she couldn't see who it was.

_'They had soft hands, I remember that. Who was he?'_

Yuuki sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her eyes. There would be time to ponder about this later, right now she was hungry. She gave a small shiver and looked out her window, beaming at what was outside. She grabbed her nearest hoodie and pulled it on, all the while sprinting down the hallway towards the kitchen. She burst into the room and jumped up and down.

"It's snowing! It's snowing! It's snowing!"

Kaname sat there with a smile on his face, seeing Yuuki enjoying something so much made him happy. He gave a slight chuckle as she ran around the table shouting "It's snowing!" and having the headmaster join her. Not everyone was in the same mood though, Zero was glaring at the two freaks of nature as they laughed and danced and shouted around him. He was even more annoyed when he saw Kaname laugh and Yuuki go a slight pink at hearing him do so.

_'So, vampires aren't the only freaks around here then.'_

He shut his eyes and munched on his cold cereal, it was damp and tasted bad but he didn't care. He was just not in the holiday mood anymore.

Yuuki was still dancing around when she saw Zero's disapproval but all she wanted was for him to share the same feeling. If he had shown even a less evil glare she would have been glad but he just ignored it and kept his scowl plastered across his face.

"C'mon Zero, get into the Christmas spirit. It's not far now."

"Why should I? I don't care about it. I practically hate it."

These words were lies but Zero had said them in such a way that she had actually thought he meant it. Yuuki had stopped to the side of Kaname, her crazy headmaster father was still running around just as energetically as before. It was sad that Zero didn't care about it, she loved Christmas. She loved the pine tree they would go off to choose, she loved placing each decoration in the perfect spot, she loved hanging lights everywhere, she loved wrapping and unwrapping the presents. And maybe, she liked the mistletoe, but the headmaster was an overprotective father and had banned it one year because Yuuki one of the schoolboys had nearly walked under it. She loved Christmas, what's was there to hate about it?

"You're such a bore sometimes you know that."

Zero just scoffed at this, he had no comeback and the words had kinda stung, but he would never show that they did. Zero just continued eating his cereal, it felt colder and harder than before and hit his stomach hard.

"You think it's great don't you Kaname?"

"Of course I do Yuuki. And speaking of Christmas, what would you like?"

"Oh, umm. You really don't have to get me something Kaname."

"What ever do you mean? Of course I'm getting you something. If I could, I would give you everything."

Yuuki went a bright shade of red and looked away. Kaname had always made her feel like a crushing school girl. She looked back at his charming smile and saw the deep, chocolate eyes bore into hers.

"So what would you like Yuuki?"

"Uhh I actually don't know. What about you?"

"Me? I'm fine with anything you give me."

Zero couldn't take this, the two of them acting like this. He hated it. And he didn't know why he was so angry about it. Well he knew why but he didn't want to admit it. He slammed down his glass of juice and stood from the table so fast that his chair nearly fell backwards. Yuuki jumped at the sudden movement and had gotten a small cut from a knife on the table next to where her hand was. Zero shut his eyes tightly and Kaname grabbed a serviette, soaking up the red blob that was forming on Yuuki's finger. Zero opened his eyes and stood still, staring at his plate before he began to speak. Yuuki's cut had stopped bleeding but he could still smell it. He had taken over his bloodlust, there wasn't enough of the liquid's scent to get him desperately craving for it, he also didn't want Kaname to see how weak a vampire he was.

_'Great, now I'm actually referring to myself as a vampire."_

"I'm, leaving. I think I've had enough for now."

Yuuki was about to say something but paused, analysing the person infront of her.

"Zero, are you al–"

"I'm fine!"

_'What's wrong? What was it that caused him to react in such a way? Was it my fault?'_

The headmaster had now stopped dancing and was now complaining that Zero was always ruining the happy atmosphere with his dark aura. Zero just elbowed him in the guts and the headmaster now lay on the floor in the foetal position.

"Zero?"

"I'll be leaving in a bit, I'll be back in a couple of hours. Bye."

He collected his plate, cup and spoon and left to put them away, not caring to tread lightly over his headmaster/foster father. On his way out he heard Kaname talk to Yuuki.

"If you're free today, maybe we can go to the shops so that you can give me an idea of what to get you. We could have lunch at that small store you love, that sound ok?"

"That sounds fantastic. Thank you Kaname. I'll get ready right after I put my stuff away."

She collected her stuff and walked past Zero, she couldn't see his eyes and thought it would be better if she said nothing and waited until he was a bit better.

Zero had continued staring at the floor until he reached his room, it was dark and gloomy and was just where he needed to be. He turned and closed the door, leaning his head against it. A shadow of a pair of shoes came to the front of his door, the light from outside was visible through the small gap at the bottom of the door. His eyes widened. He knew it was Yuuki, she always came to check up on him when he wasn't himself, plus he could smell the blood from the small slice on her finger. He waited for the knock. But there was nothing. He heard a hand touch the door and placed his where he figure hers was. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply and the exhaled slowly. She removed her hand and walked away and Zero listened to every step she took taking her further away from him and closer to Kaname.


End file.
